How to Properly Rename a Directory in a Git Repository

Renaming Git sub-repositories and project files in Git is an essential part of project management. As many developers work on the same project and for a better understanding of the project’s file and directory, Git users use relevant names with functions or features. For this purpose, occasionally, Git users are required to rename the file or Git directory.

This blog will illustrate the procedure to rename a directory in a Git repository.

How to Rename a Git Directory in a Repository?

To rename a directory, first, view all the Git directories by executing the “ls” command. Then, choose the directory you want to rename and utilize the “$ git mv <source-directory-name> < new-directory-name>” command.

For this purpose, look at the provided instructions.

Step 1: Open Git Bash Terminal
First, launch the “Git Bash” command line terminal from the Startup menu:

Step 2: Go to Git Repository
Next, go to the required Git repository:

Step 3: View All Files and Directories
View all files and directories of the Git repository through the provided command:

Alternatively, the user can utilize the “git ls-file” command to view the directories file in detail:

Step 4: Rename Directory
Now, rename the Git directory by utilizing the “git mv” command. Also, specify the old directory name and new directory name along with the command:

Using the above command, we will rename the “test” directory as “features”:

Again, view all files and directories of the repository to verify if the directory is renamed or not:

You can see that we have successfully renamed the directory:

Step 5: Add Changes to Staging Area
Move the untracked changes to the tracking index (staging area) by executing the mentioned command:

Check out the repository state to verify if the changes are added to the staging environment or not:

You can see the directory renamed changes are added to the staging index:

Step 6: Commit the Changes
Next, commit the tracked changes using the “git commit” command. This will properly save the directory in the local repository with the new name:

Check the repository logs to verify if the changes or committed or not:

It can be observed that the changes are committed successfully:

We have taught you the procedure to properly rename the Git directory in a Git repository.

Conclusion

To rename the Git directory in a Git repository, first, open the repository and choose the directory you want to rename. After that, utilize the “git mv <source-dir-name> <new-dir-name>” command to rename the directory. Now, add the untracked changes to the tracking index and then, commit these changes using the “git commit” command. This write-up has demonstrated the method for renaming Git directories in the Git repository.